by
Peter Dragula, M.Ed.
Today, after a full day at work, I received another email from my son's newest teacher. I wish I could say it is the first but I can't. It resembles almost word for word the same concerns and describes the type of behaviors most of my son's teachers have had over the past 13 years he has been going to school.
The teacher wrote:
Hello Mr Dragula,
My name is xxxx and I'm M's
Technology teacher. I felt that it was necessary to contact you
regarding his behavior in class. He talks/interrupts me when I'm talking
and other students have complained to me about his behavior. I've
discussed this with him (as early as yesterday - keeping him after
class) and he said that he would change and act as a middle school
student is expected. Unfortunately, there was no change today. After
removing him from a computer activity, he asked if he could work on his
rocket... I agreed. The next thing I see is that he has open glue
bottles, pretending to squirt them at other students. Please have a talk
with him. I don't want to write up a referral on him.Mr. X
As a parent and an educator, I felt depressed by the email and frustrated.....the literature suggests to parents of ADHD kids to try and keep a good relationship with the school and the teachers, but after so much time, it becomes a delicate balancing act to maintain the school relationship and advocate for your child. According to at least one research study: "In our research we have found that secondary students with ADHD tend to exhibit a pattern of declining grades from the first to the last grading period in each school year. That is, without intervention, students' grades are typically strongest at the beginning of the school year, but then weaken to varying degrees by the end of the school year (Evans et al., 2005; Evans, Serpell, Schultz, & Pastor, 2007). Students who experience failure and do not receive adequate intervention can conceivably fall behind their peers in the curriculum, and this discrepancy can grow over time. Indeed, children with ADHD tend to exhibit increasing academic deficits when compared to their peers over several school years (e.g., Latimer, August, Newcomb, Realmuto, Hektner, & Mathy, 2003). Similar trends may occur within a school year, as it seems likely that once students fall behind it becomes increasingly difficult to recover as the classroom curriculum moves forward. Thus, the timing of failure events is consequential because the sooner the occurrence, the more likely intervention will be needed to ensure that the student benefits from instruction and ultimately earns credit for the class."
Resource: Schultz, B. K., Evans, S. W., & Serpell, Z. N. (2009). Preventing failure among middle school students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A survival analysis. School Psychology Review, 38(1), 14-27. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/219656530?accountid=27965
I wrote back:
Dear Mr. X,
Thank you for contacting me regarding your concerns. I don't know how long you have been teaching, but I want to say that I understand the frustration you must be feeling at not being able to get the results you want with Marco. You are not the first and you probably will not be the last. I teach at ABC High and I am trained in technology and special education. I've been teaching for over 15 years and I am working on my doctorate. The year is almost over and I will speak with M., however, I feel as though you have been set up to some degree to fail yourself.
Your email implies that you have not read, been trained, been
given support, resources or researched M's disability. Yes, he does
appear to be capable of behaving at times doesn't he? Yet in 13 years,
he has had the same problems and behaviors you have documented, which
is what has brought him to your class and your school. You have the
legal right as a teacher to "write up a referral on him" and to repeat
the conventional punitive practices that evidently have not worked
before you, or you can try to change your teaching strategy to
accommodate a student with ADHD. It takes time to make a shift in
paradigm and become a transformational teacher, so be patient with
yourself. I've attached a resource for you in case you are interested
in trying a different approach.Thank you for contacting me regarding your concerns. I don't know how long you have been teaching, but I want to say that I understand the frustration you must be feeling at not being able to get the results you want with Marco. You are not the first and you probably will not be the last. I teach at ABC High and I am trained in technology and special education. I've been teaching for over 15 years and I am working on my doctorate. The year is almost over and I will speak with M., however, I feel as though you have been set up to some degree to fail yourself.
Resource: (Teaching Children with ADHD: Instructional Strategies and Practices. (2004). Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osers/osep/index.html.)
If it is this difficult for a parent with a degree in education to try and get through to the public school system, I can well understand the frustration other parents must face. All we can do is to plug away, advocate, and change the system for the better.
